Liking: If l like someone or something, I’ll be more willing to let him or her persuade me

Getting someone to like us…

What exactly does it entail?

The principle defined by Robert B. Cialdini states that, to have a better chance of persuading someone, we will first have to get him or her to like us.

How does it work?

To achieve the desired effect of getting our target audience to like us, we need to bear in mind the 5 key factors...

· Attractiveness: studies show that attractive people have a greater advantage in social interactions. We tend to attribute other qualities like intelligence, goodness, talent and honesty to such people. Studies carried out in Canada during a presidential campaign revealed that voters were 2.5% more predisposed to vote for the most attractive candidates.

· Similarity: we prefer people that we look like. We identify with them immediately. We share more things with people who dress like us or who have the same tastes or interests.

· Flattery: for people to view us in a more favourable light, a good way is to flatter them. The object of our flattery is more predisposed towards the person flattering them.

· Familiarity: when something feels familiar, we accept it more easily. In some controversial elections in Ohio, one of the candidates who was not doing very well in the surveys won after changing his surname to Brown (one of the most traditional surnames in that area).

· Association: we like people or things that we associate with positive ideas much better. A study was carried out to test this effect with a car. In one of the tests, a model was placed next to the car. In another there was just the car. In the pictures with a model, the car was perceived to be faster, with a better design, and it looked more expensive. This effect can also be seen in product sponsorships and the use of famous personalities to advertise products.

How can we apply this?

Skype’s site is a good example of how to get our target audience to like us. With an attractive graphic design, photography which attempts to be similar to the audience as possible and a message clearly addressed to the user.

Yellowstone park ‘s site is also a good example of how to get users to like us. Design, content and copy at the service of adventure-seekers wishing to plan a visit to the park, with a healthy dose of empathy.

16/4/2008